Freedom of the Seas vs. Liberty of the Seas: How to choose a midsize Royal Caribbean cruise ship

Posted by Admin on June 27, 2023

A midsize Royal Caribbean ship is an ideal starting point for your first cruise with the line — or your first sailing ever. It will have enough attractions to keep you from being bored, unlike the small ships, but not so many that you’ll feel overwhelmed, as you might on the behemoths.

Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas are two of Royal Caribbean’s most popular midsize ships and might just be the perfect size for your first or next cruise.

How do you choose? You’ll want to look at the similarities and differences between the two ships, as well as look at their home ports and itineraries. Here, we pit Freedom of the Seas against Liberty of the Seas so you can understand which of these two ships will work better for you and your travel companions.

For more cruise news, reviews and tips, sign up for TPG’s cruise newsletter.

What Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas have in common

Size, age and design

Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas are two of the three ships in Royal Caribbean’s Freedom class of ships, so they fall in the center of the line’s offerings in terms of ship size. Both ships carry passenger counts in the 4,000 range on any given cruise. (For perspective, the line’s largest ships carry 6,000 people on average, while its smallest ship carries only around 2,000.)

Both ships were built in the early 2000s — Freedom of the Seas in 2006 and Liberty of the Seas in 2007. In terms of layout, they follow the same general design as the preceding Voyager class of ships, which made Royal Caribbean famous for innovations like central promenades and ice-skating rinks. Both are 15 decks high and over 1,100 feet long (more than three and a half football fields).

Cabins and suites

Cruise ship sailing out of port — Freedom of the Seas. MICHEL VERDURE/ROYAL CARIBBEAN

Both Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas offer a wide range of accommodations, including the basic interior, ocean-view and balcony rooms.

Some interesting configurations complement the standard layouts. These include interior-facing cabins that look over the Royal Promenade, panoramic ocean-view cabins with stunning forward-facing views and the ever-popular “hump” balcony cabins that gain extra balcony square footage because they are located on a bulge designed into the side of the ship.

Families on a budget can enjoy a bit of extra space by choosing interior family staterooms with bunks or an even bigger two-bedroom family oceanview room that measures 290 square feet.

Suite lovers will find ample choices on board both ships, ranging from junior suites to the 1,360-square-foot Royal Suite with a baby grand piano. Though neither ship has the full range of Royal Suite Class perks, both Liberty and Freedom have suite lounges for guests staying in grand suites or higher.

Dining experiences

You’ll find similar dining options on board both ships, particularly the multilevel main dining room and the Windjammer cafe buffet area. Both ships have complimentary pizza available at Sorrento’s, as well as various snacks and light bites at Café Promenade.

As for specialty dining, which costs extra, you can visit Johnny Rockets for burgers and shakes in a 1950s-style diner setting, dine at Chops Grille for an upscale steakhouse vibe and enjoy the Chef’s Table tasting menu experience. All of these options are available on both ships.

Entertainment

Entertainment on board Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas includes evening shows that range from musical production numbers to magicians and jugglers. Both ships have ice rinks with performance shows, plus open skating times for everyone to join in the fun.

Game show-style interactive entertainment includes the hilarious Love and Marriage game and Battle of the Sexes, both using audience volunteers. The Quest pulls the entire audience into a raucous (and often R-rated) scavenger hunt.

Bars and lounges on board feature entertainment ranging from trivia to live music and karaoke. Both ships have a piano bar (Schooner Bar) and an English pub, among their many offerings.

Pools and top-deck attractions

Pool deck on Freedom of the Seas cruise ship — Pool deck on Freedom of the Seas. ROYAL CARIBBEAN

Liberty of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas feature plenty of outdoor swimming space and whirlpools. You’ll also have access to indoor, adults-only Solarium pools on the two ships.

Each ship has a miniature golf course, a rock-climbing wall and a FlowRider surf simulator. Royal Caribbean is known for its “Perfect Storm” pair of racing water slides dubbed Typhoon and Cyclone, and they are found on both Freedom and Liberty. The youngest set of cruisers will have fun at Splashaway Bay, a junior-size water park featuring slides and splash zones.

What are the differences between Liberty of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas?

Renovations

Freedom of the Seas was last renovated in 2020, while Liberty of the Seas received its most recent updates in 2016. That gap means Freedom has a few attractions you won’t find on board Liberty. Let’s check those out.

Cabins

Freedom has an interesting row of cabins on Deck 12 that might be of interest to families because of their size (406 square feet) and location. On the port side, directly opposite the Adventure Ocean kids program facilities and the arcade, you’ll find six Spacious Oceanview cabins tucked away in their own hallway. For those cruising with small children, Splashaway Bay is only one flight of stairs down. You won’t find them on Liberty.

Restaurants and bars

Onboard food venues hold the most noticeable differences between the two ships. Freedom of the Seas has several choices not found on Liberty, including a complimentary Mexican eatery, El Loco Fresh, with outdoor seating. The menu features breakfast burritos, chips and salsa, nachos and tacos from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

People dining in Italian restaurant on cruise ship — Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen on Freedom of the Seas. ROYAL CARIBBEAN

Freedom of the Seas also has Izumi Hibachi and Sushi, Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade (which has some amazing eats not found anywhere else on board) and Vintages wine bar. Both ships have an Italian restaurant, but they’re not the same.

Freedom is home to Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen, with hand-tossed pizza on the menu, while Liberty offers Giovanni’s Table, which has a slightly more formal feel and a different menu. Both menus feature the signature filet mignon and favorites like lasagna and osso buco. If you’re a fan of Giovanni’s eggplant parm (a stack of thin-sliced, deep-fried, cheese-smothered heaven) or gnocchi gorgonzola, you’ll need to book Liberty, not Freedom.

Liberty of the Seas has two eateries not found on Freedom: Cupcake Cupboard and Sabor, an authentic Mexican restaurant open for lunch and dinner for an extra charge. The menu features build-your-own tacos, quesadillas and traditional appetizers and desserts.

Top-deck attractions

The two ships have slightly different thrill rides in their onboard water parks. Liberty has a water ride that carries you in a two-person raft first down, then back up again, boomerang-style. Freedom has a different water coaster that uses two-person rafts and a head-first mat waterslide called Riptide, which is not found on Liberty.

Home ports and destinations

Freedom and Liberty currently offer similar routes for at least part of the year.

Freedom of the Seas operates three- and four-night Bahamas cruises year-round from Miami that include stops at the line’s private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay, as well as at Nassau. In the summer of 2024, Freedom will move to Fort Lauderdale to operate longer cruises in the Caribbean.

Liberty of the Seas operates similar short cruises from Fort Lauderdale during the spring, fall and winter months. In summer, the ship makes its home in Bayonne, New Jersey. From that port, it offers four-and five-night cruises to Bermuda, six- to nine-night cruises in the Caribbean and four- to nine-night late-season trips to Canada and New England.

Bottom line: Freedom of the Seas vs. Liberty of the Seas

Which ship works better for you? Obviously, during the months when Liberty cruises from New Jersey, your preference for departure port and itinerary will determine your choice.

But when Liberty is cruising from Florida, it becomes a toss-up because the ships are so similar. There’s very little difference between cruising from Fort Lauderdale versus Miami. Both port cities have plenty of hotel choices and opportunities for fun during pre-and post-cruise stays, plus ample transportation to and from airports. Not to mention, cruise fares for the two ships are almost identical.

Even airfare is not the deciding factor it once was when comparing Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) to Miami International Airport (MIA) because Miami now offers flights from multiple low-cost carriers, including Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines and JetBlue.

If you haven’t cruised on a Royal Caribbean ship with a Playmakers Sports Bar or Izumi Hibachi, those two might be enough to sway your vote toward Freedom — I know it would for me. My mouth starts watering at the thought of Playmakers’ famous Campfire Cookie dessert. And who doesn’t love a good hibachi dinner featuring good food and an entertaining chef at your table?

On the other hand, if you want your three-night Bahamas cruise to include a day at sea, then Liberty is your ship, as it only makes one stop at CocoCay, followed by a leisurely day at sea. Freedom’s three-night itineraries usually include a stop at Nassau in addition to CocoCay. You currently have to book a four-night cruise or longer to get a sea day on Freedom.

With those minor differences aside, these two sister ships are so similar that making the choice between them may come down to which one has the cabin you desire available on the dates you want to go.

Planning a cruise? Start with these stories: